In order to examine the color reproducibility of the color printing of a printing apparatus, a color chart printed by that printing apparatus is used. A color chart refers to a sheet of paper on which a plurality of color patches with the different hues, brightness, and chroma is printed. A user of the printing apparatus measures each color of the plurality of color patches included in the color chart by using a colorimetric device. The user then evaluates the amount of color shift between the color measured value and the color target value in regard to each of the plurality of color patches and examines the color reproducibility, and if he has determined that the color reproducibility is insufficient, he adjusts the printing apparatus.
One example of such a colorimetric device is disclosed in Patent Literature 1. In this colorimetric device, while a sheet on which a plurality of color patches is printed is conveyed in one direction, each color of the plurality of color patches is measured.
The accuracy of the colorimetric device is checked regularly and if the accuracy has decreased, the calibration is carried out. By measuring each color of a plurality of color tiles with different colors (for example, color tiles with 12 to 14 colors) with the use of the colorimetric device, the accuracy of the colorimetric device is checked. Since the color tile does not largely change in color over time, the color tile is used as the criterion of the color. In order to check the accuracy of the colorimetric device, a color tile member including a plurality of color tiles is prepared.
A color tile is much thicker than a color chart. Therefore, in the case of the colorimetric device that conveys the color chart to the colorimetric position and measures each color of the plurality of color patches at the colorimetric position, it is impossible that the color tile member is conveyed to the colorimetric position and successively the color tile member is disposed at that position.
In the colorimetric device, a white calibration plate is disposed at a position different from the colorimetric position. Similarly, in another embodiment, a color tile member is disposed at a position different from the colorimetric position. However, since the color tile member is formed of a plurality of color tiles, the area of the color tile member is relatively large. Thus, if a place exclusively used to install the color tile member is provided in the colorimetric device, such a colorimetric device becomes larger in size.